Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्नृपश्रेष्ठ तीर्थं पापप्रणाशनम् । वाराहस्य हरेरिष्टं सदा वाससुखप्रदम्

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | tato gacchennṛpaśreṣṭha tīrthaṃ pāpapraṇāśanam | vārāhasya hareriṣṭaṃ sadā vāsasukhapradam

Translation

പുലസ്ത്യൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ രാജശ്രേഷ്ഠാ! തുടർന്ന് പാപനാശകമായ ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അത് വരാഹരൂപിയായ ഹരിക്ക് പ്രിയവും, സദാ വാസസുഖം നൽകുന്നതുമാണ്.

Word by Word

• पुलस्त्यः: Pulastya
• पुलस्त्यः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: thereafter/from there)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः)

• तीर्थम्: to a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• पापप्रणाशनम्: destroyer of sins
• पापप्रणाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + प्रणाशन (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापस्य प्रणाशनम्)

• वाराहस्य: of (the) Boar-incarnation
• वाराहस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• हरेः: of Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• इष्टम्: dear/pleasing
• इष्टम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः, नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (तीर्थम् इति विशेषणम्)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• वाससुखप्रदम्: giver of comfort of dwelling
• वाससुखप्रदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वास + सुख + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-भावः (वासस्य सुखं प्रददाति)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāha-tīrtha (designation implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpaśreṣṭha (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Pulastya instructs a king about a sin-destroying Varāha-beloved tīrtha; the scene balances royal attention, ascetic authority, and the implied sacred landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Varāha
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma presents pilgrimage as a practical path: go to the Lord’s favored tīrtha to cleanse sin and gain auspicious well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Varāha-associated tīrtha, beloved of Hari in his boar-incarnation, within the Arbuda-khaṇḍa itinerary.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A direct injunction to visit (gacchet) the sin-destroying tīrtha.